Despite the leftist apoplexy over Tim Tebow, the Super Bowl ad  I found most controversial was the "Green Police" by Audi:

Certainly this was a clever parody, but for us residents of the Great Pacific Nutwest, uniformed cops hauling you away for using plastic grocery bags is an all-too-likely scenario. 

During the debate on a proposed plastic grocery bag ban in the Oregon legislature last week, one greenie zealot stated:

In general it does take a bit of a strong arm in order for us to see results. Voluntary measures do not generally see the results that other things like bans do.

"A bit of a strong arm in order for us to see results."    Bring on the no-knock warrants and carbon-sniffing aardvarks.

Hot off the presses, Patrick Reed announces his bid for Washington Legislative District 31, Seat 2. Lets all work hard to get as many Republicans into office as possible in 2010!

******************PRESS RELEASE******************
For Immediate Release
February 8, 2010

Contact: Josh Amato
Phone: 253.722.9089
Email: josh.amato@electpatrickreed.com
Web: www.ElectPatrickReed.com

PATRICK REED ANNOUNCES RUN FOR STATE HOUSE
 

Reed will be running for 31st District Position 2 as a Republican
Sumner, WA - Patrick Reed of Sumner has announced today that he will be running for the State House of Representatives in the 31st District, Position 2. Reed, a long-time Sumner resident, will be challenging liberal incumbent Christopher Hurst (D).
Reed has experience in both the private and public sector. Currently, Patrick serves the State of Washington as a Program Manager for the Secretary of State. Patrick has served on many boards and committees designed to help businesses of all sizes be successful. Reed’s key focus in Olympia will be on creating jobs and helping businesses succeed.
 “I’m running for the Legislature because unemployment is impacting so many families in my district.  I know the state can do better because I’ve seen first-hand how agencies can improve their practices and help new and existing businesses succeed,” said Reed.
He added, “I know I can make a difference in Olympia. I have listened to the community and I have concrete ideas on how the state can be more streamlined and customer oriented, making the experience of opening and operating businesses much simpler. This effort is critical, especially when you consider how much small businesses drive employment in our district.”
Reed and his wife Tina make their home in Sumner. He has a 10 year old son and 2 year old daughter.

To schedule an interview with Patrick Reed or find out more information, please contact Josh Amato at 253.722.9089 or josh.amato@electpatrickreed.com

The Washington 2nd Legislative District finally has an option for change. JT Wilcox, of Roy, has announced his bid against incumbent Rep. Tom Campbell, also of Roy.

JT’s reasons for running are open and straightforward, just like him. He has lived in the district his whole life.  The Wilcox family has been in Pierce County for generations in fact.  JT is very concerned about the cavalier attitude that the current administration takes towards the economy. After 17 years with the same representative in Olympia, he believes it is time for a change.

Wilcox is affiliated with Wilcox Farms of Roy. He learned that when you have lots of staff, it’s easy to become lost in how big it is. JT made a point of doing things himself, learning the ins and outs, and asking for help when needed. He has managed the operations and finance of a $200,000,000 business that covers five states with locations all over the Northwest. He knows the difficulties of running a business, and has been on the check-writing end of business. He also supervised benefits administration for 720 families, and kept costs down according to his moral compass - not his pocketbook.

In addition to his many supporters, JT has also taken advantage of social media technology to campaign. He has over 500 friends on Facebook and adds more daily. He maintains his transparency on Facebook as well – his phone number is listed, and he will answer it.

What others are saying:

“JT has the kind of critical thinking and experience in business community we need to balance the state budget without raising taxes” –Pierce County Councilmember Shawn Bunney, District 1

“JT Wilcox is an energetic and very polite community leader. He also understands the needs of small business. The National Federation of Independent Business rates elected officials voting records. http://www.nfib.com/Portals/0/PDF/AllUsers/states/WA/wa-voting-record-2008.pdf  Any elected official with a rating below 80% should be considered for replacement. The 2nd District two state representatives Jim McCune and Tom Campbell have been rated for the 2007 - 2008 session. McCune 100%, Campbell 42%. “ -–Pierce County Councilmember Dick Muri, District 6

My opinion of JT is he is a fiscally responsible, morally accountable, breath of fresh air needed so badly in the 2nd. Its time for change, and JT Wilcox will be my choice.

The JT Wilcox Campaign can be reached at http://www.jtwilcox.org. His campaign manager is Tricia Kimbrough.

 Thursday, alerted by a tweet from Amber Gunn of Evergreen Freedom Foundation, I was able to attend the hearing for Senate Bill 6843. The time for this hearing had been moved up an hour and a half from the scheduled time reported the day before, which no doubt affected turnout but the room was still full. This bill tosses out voter-approved I-960 which not only requires a 2/3 majority vote in both the House and the Senate before raising taxes, but also requires notifications to the press, elected officials, and citizens who have requested detailed notice of tax-raising bills. Senator Don Benton (D-Vancouver) urged his fellow Senators to respect the "will of the people" and asked "why does public knowledge frighten so many here?" He mentioned that these notices are sent out via email and the people deserve transparency in their elected government. Bob Williams pointed out that the voters of Washington have passed initiatives five times since 1980 in support of requiring a 2/3 majority vote before raising taxes. Voters clearly want their elected representatives to exhaust all possible options before raising taxes. Every budget that Gov. Gregoire has submitted has been higher than revenue forecast. Williams urged a return to the Priorities of Government process which Democratic Governor Gary Locke signed into law.

Supporters of SB 6843 urged the committee to "please return majority rule to the state of Washington." It is unfortunate that supporters are unaware that pure majority rule is nothing more than mob rule. We do not live in a democracy. We live in a democratic republic, in which we attempt to elect clear-thinking, wise individuals who will represent their constituents and listen to all sides before making a decision. What I witnessed in the hearing Thursday was disturbing. Some Senate Democrats slouched exaggeratedly, sneered, and laughed outright as citizens testified that a higher tax burden would be a final straw that would break them, break their businesses, and break their families apart as adult children leave the state in search of jobs. A man from Fircrest and now Spanaway testified that he had moved from a nice area of town into a trailer park due to the failure of his 20-year business, and he respectfully requested our Legislature to make the same adjustments that the citizens are making. He was met with a disdainful laugh from a Senator, which compelled the citizen to call the Senator on his arrogance, saying roughly, "Stop laughing at me. Stop smirking at me. I'm just a guy. I am asking you to respect the will of the voters and not raise taxes without a 2/3 majority. Or put it to the people, like they did in Oregon. You are hired to represent us." The man was clearly upset.http://tinyurl.com/y9ubblm begin at 39:00. The Democratic chair of the committee told the man "that's enough" and then when he said he was finished, she said, "Good." Clearly uncalled for.

Supporters of SB 6843 went as far as to say the "majority of the Legislature needs to be able to act in a difficult budget requirement rather than be beholden to the will of a minority." The minority party has, for years, told the majority party, "You are creating a tsunami and you are going to sink the ship" (Republican Representative Skip Priest, several years ago). Revenue went up 20% in four years. Spending went up 32% in the same four years. EFF suggested "105 ways to cut the budget in 105 days" during the last legislative session, to no avail. And now the majority party are cutting essential services because they either will not or cannot budget their way out of a paper bag.

In 2006, Democrat Chris Marr spent an unprecedented $17.05 per vote (the second highest per vote spending in Washington state election history) to defeat Senator Brad Benson in the suburban Spokane 6th Legislative District.  The Republicans had held that seat for 66 years prior to Benson's defeat.  Marr's win was widely touted by state Democrats as proof that they were making inroads into largely Republican Eastern Washington.

Obviously, Washington Republicans would dearly love to recapture the seat.  Marr is considered vulnerable after allegations he ignored sexual harassment at his auto dealership and because of his outspoken support of global warming legislation.  All that was needed was the right candidate to run against him this fall.

Apparently the GOP's recruiting efforts have paid off . Michael Baumgartner, a native of Pullman and Washington State University alum, has just announced his candidacy to run against Marr in the 6th.  I'm encouraged by this development, as it gives rise to the hope that other quality candidates are being recruited that will allow the GOP to challenge for major gains statewide. 

Baumgartner, a graduate of Harvard with a Master's Degree in Public Administration in International Development, served at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad during 2007 and 2008 and played a lead role in the support of the Baghdad Security Plan as part of the "Iraq Surge." His duties in this role included attending weekly Iraq Cabinet meetings with General David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker, and he was twice given awards from Iraqi Prime Minister Maliki for his activities.

In 2009, Baumgartner served seven months and faced daily danger as an embedded advisor to a government counternarcotics team in Helmand Province in the southwest of Afghanistan, the source of a large percentage of the world’s opium and a major area of Taliban insurgent activity.

Baumgartner is young, smart, handsome, charismatic, and has an incredible personal story.  He has been at the center of some of the most important events in recent times.  Michael will be a formidable candidate who is likely just beginning a stellar political career.

Stay tuned for a Red County exclusive interview with Michael Baumgartner coming soon.

Attention Washington Taxpayers:  Some students at our public universities believe you need to pay for their college education.  

There was a statewide student protest yesterday against proposed budget cuts to higher education by the Washington Legislature, but many students took the opportunity to call for higher taxes.  At a public hearing in the Senate yesterday on the Democrat-led effort to repeal the voter initiative that requires a 2/3 legislative majority to raise taxes, one student testified that, "people who need other people's money shouldn't be held hostage by the people that money belongs to."

Some pictures from the Daily Evergreen of the protest against higher education funding cuts and tuition increases on the Washington State University Pullman campus yesterday:

It should be noted that the "protest/walkout" was only attended by a few dozen students, was not sanctioned by the official student body government (wisely surmising perhaps that this sort of selfish display is a great way to get people struggling through the worst economic times in Washington since the Great Depression REALLY angry at often spoiled suburbanite college students,) and was organized by members of the Young Democrats and the Progressive Student Union.

It's pretty amazing that these starry-eyed, idealistic socialists-in-training continue to sheepishly support  the failed tax-and-spend policies of the Democratic governor that created the state's financial mess and the Democrat-dominated Legislature that actually raised tuition and slashed academic programs.  In this kind of economic downturn, EVERYONE suffers.  Why do college students think they should be immune?  Yes, you are going to have to pay more for fewer services.  Welcome to Reality 101.

Hey, this guy gets it at least.  No free rides in life.